Tower-windmill



No. 6|4,`8|2.A Patented Nov. 22, |898.

M. KEENEY.

Town-:R wlNnmlLL.

(Application led Sept. 24, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented Nav. 22, |898.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A TTOHNEYS.

` UNITED STATES PATENT TFIC.

MAYRO KEENEY, OFI SOMERSVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

TOWER-WINDMILL SPECIFICATION forming para of Letters Patent No. 614,812-, dated November 22, 189s. Application filed September 24,1897. Serial No. 652,794. (No model.)

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, MAYRO KEENEY, of Somersville, in the county of 'lolland and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tower-Windmills, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to so construct the wind-wheel of a tower-.windmill that it will be durable, simple, and economic and also self-governing, the regulator being capable of such adjustment as to nearly close the fans or blades if the revolutions of the wheel are above a predetermined number.

Another object of theinvention is to so construct the wheel` that its fans or blades will catch the wind from all quarters without changing position, obviating the loss of speed or power and the irregular motion that is common to various other windmills while shifting to meet varying winds.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means whereby one oil-cup may supply lubricating material to all working parts, and whereby the speed of the wind-wheel may be regulated by hand when necessary.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the wind-wheel and its support. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the runner of the wheel and through its hubshaft, the section being on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, the blades or fans, however, being shown closed; and Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of one of the clamps used for attaching the governor-arms to the wheel.

A represents the fixed table of the tower, supported by suitable standards 10. In the central portion of the table A a hollow bearing-block 11 is secured. This bearing-block is preferably of metal and extends beyond the top and the bottom of the table, being provided with an interior thread 12, as shown in Fig. 1. Uprights 13 extend from the table and support the skeleton frame 1 4, which frame is provided with a covering 15. rlhe frame of the wind-Wheel consists of a tubular shaft16, which may be termed a hubshaft, and an upper and a lower head 23. The bore of the -hub-shaft 16 is of less diameter at the top than at its central and bottom portions. In fact the upper portion of the bore of the said shaft is employed only as a channel to receive and feed oil or other lubricant. A socket is formed in the bottom of the hubshaft, which socket receives the upper projecting end of the bearing-block 1l, and balls 17 are located between the bottom wall of the said socket and the opposing surface of the bearing-block. A second socket is formed in the upper end of the hub-shaft, receiving a metallic bearing-block secured to the upper frame 14, the said upper bearing-block 19 being provided with an opening which communicates with the reduced opening at the upper end of the hub-shaft. Balls 18 intervene the upper bearing and the bottom wall of the upper socket of the shaft.'

An oil-cup 2O is secured in the upper bearing-block 19 and supplies oil to the bore in the hub shaft. An annular flange 21 is formed upon the hub-shaft near its upper end and a corresponding flange 22 is formed on the shaft near its lower end. These flanges respectively receive the heads 23 of the wheel, and the heads usually consist of a rimand spokes connected with the rim and with a central hub. Washers 25 are placed upon the hub portions of the wheel-heads, and the ianges, the hubs of the wheel-heads, andthe washers are securely fastened together by bolts or the equivalents thereof.

Rods 24 extend from one head 23 of the wheel to the other, the rods being passed through the rim portions of the said heads, and the said rods are preferably equidistant apart. Each of these rods is adapted to carry in a pivotal manner a vertical fan or blade B. These fans or bladesare angular in crosssection, comprising two members 26 and 26 of substantially equal width, one member being at an obtuse angle to the other or at an angle greater than a right angle. At the IOO junction of these members each vertical fan orblade is provided with bearings 27, through which the supporting-rods 24 pass.

Near the central portion of the hub-shaft 1G said shaft is provided with an exterior annular recess 28, whereby this portion of the shaft is reduced in diameter, and at the upper end of the wider portion of the bore in the shaft, or at that end which is in the reduced portion of the shaft, opposing longitudinal slots 29 are made, which extend from the bore outward through the shaft, as shown in Figs. l and 3.

A runner 30 is mounted to slide upon the reduced or recessed portion 28 of the hubshaft, and controlling rods or links 31 are pivoted to the runner, extending outwardly therefrom, each rod being attached to an outer member 26 of a fan or blade B. The controlling rods or links 31 may be secured to the runner in any approved manner. Usually, however, they are attached as shown in Fig. 3, in which it will be observed peripheral slots 32 are made in the runner, and the inner ends of the controlling rods or links are pivoted upon abinding-ring 33, which crosses the slots 32.

Below the upper flange 2l of the hub-shaft, yet above the reduced portion of the shaft, a third annular flange 34 is formed, to which a ring-like plate 35 is bolted, the rink-like plate being on the under side of the ange 34, and the said plate, as illustrated in Fig. 5, is also made in sections, and each section is furnished with downwardly and outwardly extending ears 3G. In the ears of each section of the ring-like plate 35 the upper end of a governor or regulating-arm 37 is pivoted, the arms being provided with balls 38 at their lower extremities. Each governor or controlling-arm is connected by a link 39 with ears 40, the ears being secured upon and extending upwardly from a ring-like plate 41, secured upon the upper surface of the runner, the plate 4l being preferably of the same construction as the plate 35.

It is evident that when the runner 30 is carried upward on the hub-shaft the blades or fans will be so turned that the corresponding members of the various blades will be in close relation to each other, thus preventing the wind from taking hold of them and also causing a stoppage of the wheel. In order that the blades or fans may readily assume this closed position, recesses 42 are made in the inner edges of the blades, as shown in Fig. l, to receive the controlling rods or links 3l.

In the operation of the wheel when the fans or blades are open they will receive the wind, no matter from what direction it may blow, and when the wheel has attained a speed beyond that determined upon the governor-balls will be thrown outward to a greater or to a less extent, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, causing,r the controlling-rods to be drawn inward and the fans or blades closed to a greater or less degree. It is frequently desirable to control the blades or fans by hand. To this end an adjusting-shaft 43,

terminating at its lower end, for example, in

a hand-wheel 44, is passed upward through the bore of the hub-shaft 1G, and the adjusting-shaft 43 is provided with an exterior thread, as shown in Fig. l, adapted for engagement with the threaded portion of the lower bearing-block 1l.

The upper end of the adjusting-shaft is in engagement with a block 45 when the runner 30 is in its lower position and the blades are open. The block 45 is held to slide in the hub-shaft and a pin 4G is passed through the block and through the vertical slots 20 in the hub-shaft into the runner 30, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus, it will be observed, by carrying the adjusting-shaft 43 upward the runner may be made to travel in the same direction ,and the blades may be entirely or completely closed. It is furthermore evident that the oilf rom the cup 2O will pass through the hub-shaft its entire length and will reach all bearings that are necessary to be lubricated.

The power may be transmitted from the wheel in any approved manner. As illustrated, agear-wheel47 is secured on the lower head of the wheel, as shown particularly in Fig. l, and the gear is made to mesh with a pinion 48, attached to a power-transmitting shaft 49, journaled at its upper end in the table A.

Fans or blades constructed as above set forth utilize the wind to better advantage than fans which are straight transversely of the mill or the fans which are usually ernployed in windmills. The angular construction of the improved fans enables the wheel to derive power from the wind not only when the wind is entering the wheel, but likewise when the wind is leaving the wheel. The automatic regulator is exceedingly simple, durable, and economic, as is likewise the construction of the entire wheel, and the danger of the wheel breaking or quickly wearingout is reduced to a minimum, as is likewise the possibility of the wheel runnin gloose in heavy winds.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a Wind-wheel, a frame consisting of a hub-shaft and a top and a bottom head, blades or fans vertically pivoted between the heads, a ball-governor carried by the hub, a runner connected with the ball-governor, a link connection between the runner and the fans or blades, an adjustinmshaft held to travel in the hub-shaft of the wheel, and a block adapted when the runner is in its lower position to engage with the adj usting-shaft,the said block being free to move within the hub-shaft and being attached to the said runner, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a tower, a tubular shaft mounted to turn on the tower and form- IOO IIS

ing a hub, a head carriedv at the lower end of the tubular shaft, a head carried at the upper end of the tubular shaft, a series of blades mounted on vertical pivots between the heads, a runner extending along the tubular shaft, rods connecting the runner with the blades, a governor controlling the runner and moving the same vertically on the shaft, an adjusting-shaft movable in the hollow shaft, means located in the hollow shaft and engaged by the adj usting-shaft, such means being in connection with the runner.

3. In a windmill, the combination with a tower, of a hollow shaft mounted to turn thereon and forming a hub,heads carried by the hollow shaft, a series of blades mounted to swing between the heads on vertical pivots, a runner carried on the hollow shaft and movable vertically thereon, rods connecting the runner with the blades to adjust the same, and means extending through the hollow shaft and movable longitudinally therein, such means being connected with the runner to actuate the same.

4. The combination with a tower, ofva hollow shaft revolubly mounted thereon and forming a hub, blades supported on the shaft and turning therewith, a governor carried on the shaft and automatically adjusting the blades, a block slidable in the hollow shaft and in connection with the governor to control the governor, and an adj usting-shaft movable in the hollow shaft and engaging the block.

5. The combination with a tower, of a hollow shaft revolubly mounted thereon and forming a hub, blades supported on the shaft and turning therewith, means mounted to slide on the exterior of the hollow shaft and connected with the blades to actuatethe same, a block slidable in the hollow shaft and connected with the runner, and a rod slidable in the hollow shaft and engaging the block to move the same.

MAYRO KEENEY. Witnesses:

LAFAYETTE KEENEY, A. E. BRAINARD, 

